6 Components of Your Dental Implant Procedure

Despite all the added benefits that a dental implant can provide, many are scared off of the process. Not knowing how the procedure is done can be intimidating and stressful.

We’ve outlined below the standard implant process so you know what to expect during the procedure.

1. Anesthesia

It is important to note that getting a dental implant inserted into your mount is considered a medical procedure. Therefore, you should expect to receive some type of anesthetic to calm yourself during it. This may also be used in combination with a sedative or general anesthetic to help keep you calm while the dentist is at work. Although this may sound intimidating, this process will make the procedure painless for you. With the anesthesia you won’t feel a thing throughout the procedure and will cause it to go by quickly.

2. Assessment

An important part of having an implant inserted, is that the dentist will need to assess the area that it is going into on your jaw. To do this, the dentist will need to closely examine the jaw bone by making a small incision into the gum tissue. This will expose the bone underneath so the dentist can determine if the implant is possible in that area. The dentist will want to make sure that the surface of the bone is smooth. If it is not, they will need to use their dental tools to help smooth it out and shape it into a better position for the implant.

3. Positioning.

Once the surface of the bone has been assessed by the dentist and they have been able to determined that it is possible to place the implant there, they will need to prepare the area. This is done to ensure that position the implant is straight. This is done by having the dentist use a series of drills on the bone (each time increasing the width of it) to make a large enough hole to fit the implant. The dentist will need to make sure it is large and secure enough that the implant will not become loose over time.

4. Spot Checking

Once the initial hole is made into the position site. The dentist will want to check it to make sure that the implant is going into the patients mouth straight. To do this, they will insert a small pin into the hole to check that the alignment is correct. That way, if the alignment appears to be off in any way, the dentist will be able to correct it prior to inserting the implant.

5. Completing

Once the dentist is satisfied with the alignment of the hole for the implant they will then complete the hole by drilling it down further into the jaw. This is done to ensure the implant is imbedded deeply into the mouth and will not become loose over time. During this drilling process the dentist will need to take great care while around the bone to avoid possible overheating, excessive drilling or pressure. To help mitigate this process the dentist tends to flush the area with water or a saline solution to prevent any additional damage.

6. The Final Check

Once the final hole has been made for the implant the dentist will do a final check to ensure the alignment of the pin is correct. To do this, they will simply re-insert the pin to confirm it is straight and ready for the implant.